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Wyandotte County health officials report TB, pertussis trends and outline substance-use programs
Summary
The Unified Government Public Health Department updated commissioners on infectious diseases and outlined a four-part substance misuse program; staff also reviewed a $170,000 opioid-awareness campaign and said Narcan distribution and peer-support services are expanding while evaluation work continues.
Terry Garrison, interim director of the Unified Government Public Health Department, told commissioners Dec. 18 that the Kansas Department of Health and Environment declared a local tuberculosis outbreak over on Nov. 14, 2025, but cautioned TB remains present in the county. "As of Dec. 10, in Kansas there were 49 active cases and 337 latent cases," Garrison said, adding, "In Wyandotte County, we had 12 active tuberculosis cases and 159 latent tuberculosis cases."
The department also reported a spike in pertussis cases in 2025 and flagged a November measles exposure tied to Kansas City International Airport. Garrison urged vaccination and routine preventive measures.
Wesley McCain, community health division manager, described the department’s substance misuse efforts as four-pronged: widespread Narcan distribution, harm-reduction kits, a recovery collective, and peer-support services. "We have handed out 2,000 doses of Narcan this year," McCain said, and described 250 harm-reduction kits handed out in the community that include Narcan, test strips, hygiene supplies and gun locks. He said the peer-support team is funded through a Department of Justice grant and that the grant also supported a licensed psychologist in drug and behavioral courts, cutting assessment waits from as long as three weeks to a couple of days.
The department said peer support has reached dozens of people since May; McCain said "between May and December, it's 52 people" connected largely through drug court and outreach. He said evaluation work is underway with a KU partner to produce fuller program metrics.
Nordia Epps of the Mid-America Regional Council presented results of a 2024 opioid-awareness campaign run with UG Public Health. Epps said the UG allocated $170,000 for a targeted campaign of bus and billboard ads, radio and streaming spots, commuter audio, and social-media placements. She reported the campaign drove significant impressions and spikes in calls and web visits to First Call KC during the campaign months and said advertising benchmarks showed above-average performance; staff said they plan follow-up work to better trace callers to downstream services.
Commissioners pressed staff on outcomes: Commissioner Carlos Pacheco asked whether impressions and clicks translated into treatment, referrals or reduced overdoses. McCain said First Call KC records ZIP codes and call counts and that staff are exploring options to trace referrals and outcomes, but that a staff transition delayed full evaluation for the pilot period.
The board received the presentation for information; staff said they will return with more evaluation data and program metrics in future updates.
